[GenXer]

Better rent one and drive around the area where you will be staying. They only look good in magazines and TV shows. If you plan to go off road a lot, you will love it. But if you are planning this as your only means of transportation, look elsewhere. They handle about as well as a drunken bum pushing a shopping cart.
All that novelty will wear off and get tiresome.

You're better off getting a Ford Ranger or Chevy Colorado ZR2. Toyota Tacoma, etc. At least you can haul stuff and pull with them. A Cherokee Trailhawk or Subaru Crosstek are also much more substantial.

A Wrangler is a lifestyle vehicle. Not everyone fits that lifestyle. Drive one for a week or two see if you still like it.

[jesm]

I will go opposite of everybody here....I say get the Wrangler. I got rid of my BMWs and moved on to Porsche. Loved my E90! Now the JL is a AWESOME daily driver. It rides great, and customizing is endless, super cheap compared to BMW or Porsche, super cold AC(Live in Houston), awesome sound system, jack of all trades...
I would go with at least Sahara trim with the leather seats. Or Rubicon.
Good luck!!

[Germanauto]

The newest Wrangler isn't the penalty box the prior models were, but I've heard the engineering overall is still sub-par.

We on this forum are partial toward sporty driving cars so we are biased. You just have to ask yourself how much you value the driving dynamics, styling, luxurious interior, etc. of a BMW to put up with the maintenance costs. At a certain point it's no longer worth it, just depends on personal preference.

[chassis]

@ScottSinger have you chosen between the apple and the orange yet? Having lived in SE PA for a while, I think a Jeep would be an uncomfortable vehicle for the roads and traffic. Have you always wanted to own or drive a Jeep?

[Smgs1992]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

The newest Wrangler isn't the penalty box the prior models were, but I've heard the engineering overall is still sub-par.

We on this forum are partial toward sporty driving cars so we are biased. You just have to ask yourself how much you value the driving dynamics, styling, luxurious interior, etc. of a BMW to put up with the maintenance costs. At a certain point it's no longer worth it, just depends on personal preference.

It really isnt about being partial to a sporty driving car as i daily a ford expedition and am looking to upgrade to a newer truck. It is that the jeep wrangler is just that bad of a driving experience. Unless youre a die hard jeep guy, love going offroading or are willing to sacrifice all comfort for the look of driving a jeep it isnt worth it.

[dgoldenz]

Reading the comments it seems like hardly anyone here has driven a JL Wrangler. It's a huge improvement over prior generations. I have one as a daily for two years now and drive it ~80-90% of the time even though I have a GT3. Fantastic DD, super easy to remove the top, infotainment system is easy to use, has Carplay, I have little to no complaints.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

Reading the comments it seems like hardly anyone here has driven a JL Wrangler. It's a huge improvement over prior generations. I have one as a daily for two years now and drive it ~80-90% of the time even though I have a GT3. Fantastic DD, super easy to remove the top, infotainment system is easy to use, has Carplay, I have little to no complaints.

What color is your Jl ?

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

What color is your Jl ?

White with premium soft top. I leased but if I was buying to keep long term I'd go for the OneTouch sky top

[eluded]

Jeeps are amazing on UnPaved roads.

[GTF]

Wrangler:
Pros:
Rock climber, good resale value.
Cons:
Everything else.

[bvrider1]

Con:

Jeep Wave

https://www.cjponyparts.com/resource...wave-explained

Never had so many people wave to me. Felt odd. Sold mine

Originally Posted by GTF

Wrangler:
Pros:
Rock climber, good resale value.
Cons:
Everything else.

[DPelletier]

some good info in this thread and some not so good! LOL Huge differences between a YJ, TJ, JK and current JL. Yes, Wranglers in general aren't great on-pavement vehicles but they are awesome offroad.....but that isn't the only place they excel; a 2dr Wrangler handles all roads, all kinds of weather and is easy to park.....with the proper bumpers and nerf bars, door dent and parking lot damage is almost nonexistant and even if you do get a mark.....it's a Jeep. Rough ride, highway mileage, etc. are downsides. I had an '02 TJ and it was a joy to drive around town.....I keep thinking I'll pick up another.

Dave

[4Hockey4]

Had a jeep and sold Jeeps back in the day. If not much highway, not too bad..even longer wheelbase is meh imo. I'd vote used FJ also, but damn they are expensive lol

Its more like apples to turnips

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by chassis

@ScottSinger have you chosen between the apple and the orange yet? Having lived in SE PA for a while, I think a Jeep would be an uncomfortable vehicle for the roads and traffic. Have you always wanted to own or drive a Jeep?

Haven't decided yet if I should sell my M235 and get a 2-door Wrangler.

Wanted a Jeep to simplify my life. Was going to stop with the detailing and the crazy drives out in the hills. Not worry about where I park or what the road surface will do to my wheels.

Gone from a house with a very nice driveway to a reserved spot in a condo.

My M235 is so good and I think it's an amazing looking car.

Seems recently I've been very indecisive about making decisions.

Also, I'm not happy with the color choices for the Wrangler.

[jesm]

Go for the Wrangler!! You will love it. Stingray is a great looking color, now they also have Sarge green which looks awesome. You will not lose sleep if anything breaks because they are so cheap. There is TONS of things you can do to customize it and parts are soo cheap compared to Euro cars.

The AC and auto start is a perfecto combo. Super strong AC which here in Texas is a blessing!

Good luck!! the Ford Bronco is looking really good too.

[aerosynch]

I'll offer the other end of the spectrum. I've exclusively only owned Jeep's for the last 10 years of my life, starting with a 1999 Cherokee XJ, then a 2012 base JK, then a 2015 JKU, and lastly a 2018 JLU Rubicon. All daily drivers and modified.

I wheeled the crap out of all of them, traveling out of state from Miami all the way to Moab, Utah various times recently. It really is a way of life and you have to be able to overlook the inherent flaws of driving a lifted block on big tires and solid axles.

I loved it but recently caught the "race car" bug and sold my JLUR on 40" tires last year, and haven't looked back since. Now I'm awaiting delivery of an E90 I bought off the classifieds here. I can tell you going from one to the other is a big change and just make sure you'll be able to commit. Upgrades are plenty and driving doorless and topless (the jeep) is amazing when the weather cooperates.

Photos below of my JL which was amazing off-road and on road as well compared to my previous models.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by jstein55

Why a Wrangler though? If you want to simplify your life there are plenty of other SUV's, Sedans or Convertibles available. I would only purchase a wrangler as a second vehicle or if you intend to off road it. Like others have said, they suck as DD's and you will likely miss the 235, why not find something that bridges the gap?

Now that I park outside at a condominium I wanted a vehicle that I could just thrash.

Did the $100 deposit on a Cybertruck but the size and overall Tesla quality worry me.

If I purchased a Wrangler it would be at most a Sport S or Black & Tan version at the lower price point of the Wranglers.

As you suggest it's not an easy decision because the BMW is so good.

[overcoil]

Originally Posted by jstein55

I mean you can thrash other vehicles too though. Toyota, Honda, Mazda. Pretty much sounds like you want a nice beater. I just don't trust FCA products, also, the new Bronco looks awesome, although will likely take a while to get one.

All good points. I like the Mazda Miata but would not dispose of my BMW for a Miata at this time. Maybe in the future if I keep my 235 and it becomes unreliable.

I actually from pictures like the look of the Wrangler over the Bronco and the Wrangler is almost two inches narrower.

I've been on Wrangler JL Forums and the reliability issues I follow, paint bubbling around hinges, transmission failures, black hard-top easily scratches, LED headlight get covered by snow, rear non-LED reverse light melts, auxiliary battery failure, A/C blowing hot air, radio display peels, Frame rust bad welds seems to be cured.

Thats why I posted here because the responders on this forum are pretty sharp.

[DanG]

I own a house but it was built in 1942. It has no garage. My M2 sits in front of the house. It still looks great and I have had no problems with it always outside.

Keep your M235i. Just wash it often and wax it twice a year. It will be fine.

[..Rush..]

Friend of mine has probably $30K invested in his Jeep.
The funny thing is that his Jeep has never been off a paved street. He mostly drives it around the city, and parks it in front of the local In-and-out burger joint. His is strictly a boulevard cruiser!

[XutvJet]

FCA products have just terrible reliability and some of the videos of new Jeeps having parts literally fall off is sad for the owner, but quite funny. I can't believe a Sport (base) 2-door automatic I4 with a hardtop lists at over $36K.

Jeeps have killer offroad capability but almost every review notes how bad the dual live axle drivetrain is on the road as well as the noise.

What about Toyota products? We just got my wife a new 4Runner TRD Off-road (no options, fairly loaded as is) for $38,000 ($43,500 list). We then bought $4K in TRD parts, wheels, and tires minus the Fox shocks to make it look like a TRD Pro 4runner ($48K MSRP and no real negotiating because of demand).

It's surprising quiet and drives pretty dang good for an old school body on frame SUV. The roll down rear window so awesome and my wife throws her paddle board in the back like it was a truck. MPGs suck (17 city, 20 hwy) and the 5 speed auto, though really good shifting, is about 1 to 2 gears short of what the truck needs around town. Off-roading, it's fine. I love driving it. The amount of 4WD gear is boggling and the off-road capability is pretty nuts for a factory truck.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by ..Rush..

Friend of mine has probably $30K invested in his Jeep.
The funny thing is that his Jeep has never been off a paved street. He mostly drives it around the city, and parks it in front of the local In-and-out burger joint. His is strictly a boulevard cruiser!

Tacoma folks call that a mall crawler. They post pictures of a wheel up on a parking lot curb.